"You do not have to comment under every post about racism that you’re trying to be better’. ‘Have read x,y,z.’ Any combination of ugh white people, when you are white people. I do not care. Talk is cheap. I’m not here for your accountability check ups," she wrote in a separate tweet in June. … [Read more...] about Disney defends ‘Star Wars’ host after tweets about White people resurface
Tunisia star wars tour
‘Jazz Ambassadors’ Tells Story of American Diplomacy Through Music
Louis Armstrong, whose photo at the foot of Giza pyramid and the Sphinx became very popular in the Middle East, pianists Duke Ellington and Dave Brubeck, arranger Quincy Jones, drummer Charlie Persip, and clarinetist Benny Goodman, who became one of America’s most important cultural ambassadors. … [Read more...] about ‘Jazz Ambassadors’ Tells Story of American Diplomacy Through Music
How Abraham Lincoln Wrote the Gettysburg Address
The same powerful emotional impulse prompted him to add the words “under God” to his speech when they are not found in his written delivery text. (Because of him, “under God” is incorporated in the Pledge of Allegiance today.) Over the days of writing and revision, he had found the words and come to a text that proclaimed his own dedication to the survival of the democratic government with freedom and equal rights for all, the “new birth of freedom.” Here on the platform, to safeguard and assure the highest ideals he held, Lincoln reached for the highest authority he could envision. It was the culminating change to his written words while speaking, Lincoln’s final creative impulse of that moment of power and truth at Gettysburg, an act that both reaffirmed and radically redefined the work of the Founding Fathers. … [Read more...] about How Abraham Lincoln Wrote the Gettysburg Address
The beasts that lurk among us — and the American saga
When the election of 1800 ended in an electoral tie, Congress deadlocked over who would be president, Thomas Jefferson or Aaron Burr. The specter of violence loomed. "Republican newspapers talked of military intervention," historian Gordon Wood wrote in “Empire of Liberty” — "The governors of Virginia and Pennsylvania began preparing their state militias for action. Mobs gathered in the capital and threatened to prevent any president from being appointed by statute." … [Read more...] about The beasts that lurk among us — and the American saga
Four presidents take a stand
The end of Trump's presidency was a relief for Jill Filipovic. "I can finally feel myself beginning to unclench my jaw, drop my shoulders, and exhale," she wrote. "The past four years have felt like a lifetime ... The news out of the White House will be slower, and almost certainly more boring. Adults will be in charge again — too late for so many, but hopefully in time to speed up a vaccine rollout and save thousands of lives. Simple values like honesty, accountability, decency and empathy will return." … [Read more...] about Four presidents take a stand
